


King and Lionheart

by starstrucktooru



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Demon! Oikawa, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, but it's gonna have a happy ending i swear, gonna be angst at one time, human! Iwa, i can't make myself write angsty ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2018-10-19 19:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10646817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstrucktooru/pseuds/starstrucktooru
Summary: One night Hajime gets lost in a forest and finds a beautiful lake, but a mysterious boy helps him find his way home and Hajime decides to go back and thank him. The struggles of growing up when your best friend/crush is the next in line to be a demon king. And the meme team's there of course.





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! This is my first multi chapter fic and I'm so nervous about it! This is just the beginning, but I just wanted to post the first chapter to see how it goes, so it would be awesome if you guys could give me feedback on what you like/don't like, and what you would like to see. Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes!

It wasn't supposed to be like this. The forest didn't seem too large, and he just wanted to explore it for a little bit, have some fun and maybe even catch some bugs. Now the night has fallen and only a sliver of moonlight can be seen through the dense treetops that tower over him. He shuffles through the forest, kicking rocks and pebbles, and leaves scrunching under his feet as he follows the pale light, thinking that maybe if he follows it, he’ll be able to find his way back to the village.

The trees eventually diminish and he comes to a clearing, but instead of his village, he finds a lake, dark crystal clear water softly illuminated and surrounded by profound nature, so pure that he is afraid it would all fall apart if he dares to touch it. The inky night sky is littered with shimmering of billions of stars, and the whole sight looks ethereal, like someone painted a picture straight from a fairy tale.

He’s paralyzed by the sight, too mesmerized to move, but the panic starts to seep through him as he realizes it’s way past the time he was supposed to return home and that his parents must be worried sick. His breath hitches and he starts frantically looking for a way out, when he hears rustling from the bushes nearby and stops in his tracks. He can hear his heartbeat pulsating in his head, his knees buckle, his hands are sweating, and he swallows a lump in his throat; He’s terrified. His minds starts projecting billions of scary thoughts, of bandits and robbers, of mythical creatures that the hide in the deep shadows of the forest, of wild animals wishing to devour him, but he’s as confused as ever when a glimmering sphere appears in front of him.

It does a few loops in the air in front of his face, leaving traces of light behind itself and Hajime releases a breath he didn’t even know he was holding as he realizes it tried to write ‘follow me’. The sphere then drifts through the air towards a small bunch of bushes and Hajime stumbles backwards, heart skipping a beat, scared that it might be a trap. At that moment, the sphere, as if impatient, burst into a luminous flame and Hajime saw a sliver of a forest path, before the flame reduced to its original form.

His eyes widen and a smile spreads on his face as he realizes that the sphere is actually trying to help him. He decides to follow right after as it slowly unravels the path leading to his home. He follows the sphere through a maze of the pathways, trying to memorize the mystical look of the forest.

The night has long since fallen and the temperature has quite dropped, leaving Hajime shivering in his thin shirt, his teeth slightly clacking, and he puts his hands into fists as shudders run through his body. At first he thinks he’s imagining it, but as they progress further he feels that the sphere is radiating heat to keep him warm, so he mutters a quiet “thanks”. His whole body hurts, his clothes are thorn a little from the thorny bushes, and he’s barely keeping his eyes open, but he still manages to run when he finally sees the end of the forest, and he lets out a breathy laugh.

He bows to the sphere, thanking it, and somewhere deep in the shadows he manages to catch a cloaked figure which seemed like a small boy, an unusually bright gleam in his eyes, so easily seen even in so many layers of shadows and darkness. He turns around and runs back home.

* * *

 

His parents were worried sick, and he’s grounded for the next few days (he doesn’t tell his parents about the magic sphere and the boy he encountered, not wanting to scare them even more). Housebound, he spends these days thinking about the forest and the small boy that had helped him. There’s so much he thinks and wants to know about; who the boy might be, how does he know the forest so well and what was he doing there, and most importantly _how does he know magic_.

Curious, Hajime goes to his mom and asks him if there are people who are able to perform magic, to which she looks at him worriedly, eyes wide. She takes a deep breath and crouches to his level, body tense, and takes his hands into her own. In the calmest voice she could muster (Hajime could still hear the slight tremble in it) she asks him if he wanted to tell her something and is the question related to the night when he vanished into the forest.

She looks at him encouragingly, trying not to scare him, and he blinks, as if to feign a look of surprise, puts on the most innocent face he could, and tells her that no, that has nothing to do with the forest, but that he has read about magic in some books and now wants to know more about it. Her shoulders relax and she lets out a sigh, sitting back against the wooden chair.

She tells him about the white mages, humans whose powers are extremely rare and cherished, who serve the Light and help people, and then she softens her voice into a loud whisper as she explains the existence of demons, beings that lurk in the shadows and lure humans into their dark clutches. She tells him how they serve the Darkness and use their powers in dark, selfish purposes, and that they would often cloak themselves in public in order to hide the horns that could easily distinguish them from humans so that they could blend into the crowd and wreak havoc from the inside.

Satisfied with her answer, Hajime goes to his room and lays in his bed, thinking about what his mom just said. He puts two and two together; a lone boy in the middle of the pitch black forest, freely drifting through the knotty and thorny paths of the forest as if he owns it, the gleam in his eyes like shiny stars in the inky darkness and the cloak framing his small body, along with the glimmering sphere which lead him home and he comes to the realization that his savior is, in fact, a demon.

He should be worried about this, he knows he should, but strangely he’s not. He justifies his way of thinking by saying that the boy could have done so many bad things to him every single moment he was in that forest, only if he wanted to, but instead he had chosen to help Hajime out. That moment, Hajime decides that not all demons are evil, and he starts to reconstruct the map of the paths that the boy walked him through in order to go and thank him.

* * *

 

The night is as chilly as the last time he was in the forest, but this time he’s prepared. Dressed in warm clothes, the map in his hand, and the lantern in the other one, he quietly gets out of his bed and listens carefully for any signs that his parents are awake, before jumping through his bedroom’s window and making his way to the forest. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, clutching the lantern that he was holding, and listens to the cicadas to calm himself down. _I can do this_ he says to himself and exhales, and starts making his way to the forest.

He knows that the map is imperfect, and that he certainly missed something while making it, but he counts on his capability of recognizing the familiar ways, and proceeds further. Not too long later, his lips curve into a victorious smile as he takes in the sight of the lake and the silhouette of a boy longingly gazing at the stars and constellations above, littering the sky like shiny freckles.

This time, he notices that the boy’s hood has been taken down, and he wants to approach him like that, to tell him it’s okay, even if he’s a demon, and that he’s very grateful for his help. Not wanting to scare the boy away, he walks cautiously, trying not to make a sound, but just as he was a few steps from the boy, the twig under his foot cracks and he catches his breath.

The boy, startled, stands up to look at Hajime, pulling his hood back on, and stumbles back a bit. He looks scared, eyes open wide, body tense and ready to run away, but before he can do that, Hajime drops the items in his hands and raises his arms above his head, hoping that they boy would understand he doesn’t want to hurt him. They stare at each other for a few moments, and Hajime can feel his heart pounding in his chest, before he can see the glint of recognition in the boy’s eyes, and his body relaxes. Hajime drops his arms and watches the boy, looking for some signs of discomfort on his face. He doesn’t, so he tentatively steps closer, the leaves crunching slightly beneath his feet.

“Hey, uh, I didn’t mean to scare you or anything! Sorry about that! It’s, uh, this place doesn’t really look like it has many kids around, and I saw you here alone and thought it must suck to be alone all of the time. So, uhh, I guess I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be friends with me, so you don’t feel lonely and all. I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to! And I’m Iwaizumi, by the way. Iwaizumi Hajime.” He gets it all out in one breath, nervous and a rosy blush spreading on his cheeks. He scratches the back of his head sheepishly and waits for the boy’s reaction.

Said boy stares at him, startled, his big chocolate eyes widening with surprise. The boys who live in his castle are a nice company, sure, but he gets bored very quickly. Even though his friends are as free as they allow themselves to be, they still have some preservations towards him, as he is the next in line to the throne, the one who shall lead the demon kingdom as the brave and bold ruler. He had tried several times to assure them that they are his friends and that they are free to act around him as they want without needing to fear him, but he can still sense their caution, even if they try to conceal it, so he often feels lonely.

Nobody even goes to the forest anymore, and the rare ones that do never approach him with a wish to befriend him, terrified by the small horns poking out of his locks, and threatening him.

He was excited, thinking that maybe this is his chance to gain a true friend, a companion that will always stay by his side, someone who won’t be afraid of him. Not realizing that Hajime had already learned about him being a demon, he was scared that he might repel and frighten him by revealing his true being like all the others, so he tugs a little tighter on his hood to conceal his horns even more, and beams at Hajime.

“I’m Oikawa Tooru, but you can just call me Tooru, if you want. You’re the first one who passed through here in ages! I’m so glad that you came back to talk to me. Of course I’d want to be your friend, Iwa-chan!”

A little surprised by the sudden nickname, Hajime snorted, but still shook Tooru’s hand, like a promise of their new friendship and memories they have yet to make together. He suddenly realizes that he has been out more that he thought he should be, and sheepishly explains Tooru that he needs to go home. The latter looks a bit disappointed, still keeping the smile on his face, but now it just seems forced and Hajime could easily see a sliver of disappointment. He feels bad because he has to leave, but promises he’ll be back, that _he won’t let him feel alone again_ is what he wants to say, but he doesn’t. Right before he turns to head home, he gets an idea and speaks up.

“Hey, what do you say we meet at those rocks at the beginning of the forest? I still don’t know the forest so well that I can find the lake quickly, and I don’t want to get lost again.”

“Deal, Iwa-chan.”

They set up the time and, nodding to each other, they turn their ways to go home, both excited for the next day.


	2. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days pass by as the boys grow fond of each other, until one day the wind blows Tooru's hood, revealing his horns. How will Tooru react, not knowing that Hajime has already figured him out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-daaah! It's finally here! :D Sorry you had to wait so long, I was caught up with school and tests :P  
> The description sounds so dramatic omg but it's not really, I promise :')  
> I hope it's not too rushed 'cause I wrote half of it in one go :')  
> Once again I'm sorry if there are any mistakes and if you find them, please tell me. I hope you'll enjoy reading it :D <3

It’s quarter to noon and Hajime is going out, his bug catching net in his hand. He had told his mom he is going bug catching, but that is just an excuse as he is going to meet Tooru in the forest. Although, it won’t be a lie if he manages to convince Tooru to catch bugs with him. Somehow, he doubts that it’s going to happen because Tooru doesn’t look like someone who would do that, and he starts wondering if demons even like catching bugs and playing in the dirt. He shakes his head and tells himself that he’s going to show to his new friend how human kids have fun, and with a smile on his face, he unconsciously speeds up his steps.

  
As promised, Tooru is already waiting for him at the designated spot. He’s sitting on the rocks that seemed more like boulders of some, once great, ruins, the hood covering his head, legs splayed out and holding himself up on his arms, absentmindedly looking at the sky but the ruffling of leaves takes him back to Earth, and he turns his head to look at Hajime, giving him a big toothy grin. He swings his legs and pushes himself with his arms, and jumps at Hajime, enveloping him in a tight hug. Hajime catches him, but stumbles a bit, trying not to topple them over.

  
“Oi, be careful. We’re gonna fall over.”

  
“Sorry, Iwa-chan, I’m just so excited to finally play with somebody! The forest has been lonely for such a long time, you know!” (I’ve been lonely for such a long time.)  
Tooru is glowing from happiness, his face bright and filled with joy, and Hajime can’t help but smile himself as he takes Tooru’s hand in his and pulls him towards the forest.

  
The sun is shining brightly, its golden rays filtering through the dense treetops and illuminating the forest with their soft, golden light, giving the forest a warm, comforting atmosphere, the birds chirping in the distance and forest creatures peeking out from their shelters to look at them. Hajime is glad he decided to come back because Tooru is right beside him, excited like a child in a candy store, animatedly talking about this and that, slight jump in his step, and he looks genuinely happy. Hajime looks at his demon friend and thinks that there must be some kind of misunderstanding, because he simply can’t imagine Tooru as the evil savage his mom described the demons to be.

  
They’re walking around the forest when Hajime catches a glimpse of a stag beetle from the corner of his eyes, and he stops in his steps, his hand twitching around the net. He squeezes it a little and then runs off towards the beetle and dropping to his knees, motioning to Tooru to follow him. The latter stands there for a moment, baffled, before he takes tentative steps towards Hajime and, curious, peeks over Hajime’s shoulder. Hajime gives him a sign to come closer so he, as quietly as he can, pads next to Hajime and softly puts his hands on the grass, its thorny ends and twigs prickling his skin, and watches.

 

“Iwa-chan”, he whispers so, so softly, “what are we doing?”

“Have you ever caught a bug?”

  
“Wha- a bug? No, why would I do that?” he asks, his voice in a higher pitch, confused.

  
Hajime snorts at that, turns his head to look at Tooru, and smirks.

  
“Watch and learn.”

  
Tooru ‘oooohs’ and then pouts, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. He watches Hajime intently, the latter nodding and lowering his voice in hushed whisper.

  
“See these huge antlers?” Tooru nods. “That means that it’s a male, and you gotta be careful so your finger doesn’t get caught up in them, okay?”

  
Tooru makes a noise of understanding, and Hajime turns to the beetle again, feeling proud that he can show his new friend something that he’s good at. He swings the net swiftly and effectively catches the beetle, and he can hear Tooru gasping behind him in awe. He stands proudly with his hands on his hips and huffs out “See? No big deal!”

  
“Amazing, Iwa –chan! That was so cool!”, Tooru exclaims eagerly and beams at Hajime, excitement and praise in his eyes shining as clear as the lake he’d seen the night he’d gotten lost and Hajime is breathless. When he manages to breathe again he smiles at Tooru and drops to his knees to retrieve his bug net, letting the beetle free.

The demon suddenly stops and looks at the human child, puzzlement written on his face, and Hajime stares back. „What“, he asks. „Why did you do that“, Tooru whispers, confused.

  
“Do what?“

  
“Release him“, Tooru asks, and now it's Hajime's turn to be surprised.

  
“What do you mean?“

  
“Well… Why did you catch him if you were going to release him right after“, he trails, voice ending in a shy whisper, and Hajime blinks.

  
“I always let them go. I just catch them for fun, I guess. And they wouldn't really like it if I were to hold them stuck in a stuffy jar where they couldn't breathe and everything, you know? So I set them free.“

  
A moment of silence passes and the slight breeze ruffles their hair, before Tooru's eyes widen and he drops to his knees next to Hajime, smiling broadly at him.  
“Uwaaaah, that's so cool, Iwa-chan! You're so nice! Now let me try!“

  
Hajime blushes and passes him the net, watching as Tooru sticks his tongue out of his mouth in hard concentration to find another bug.  
They spend some time like that, but soon Hajime needs to go home, and he falls asleep with a smile on his face, replaying the events from the day in his mind.

* * *

  
Days are passing by quickly for the boys who are too caught up in their games to notice, and they’re already so familiar with each other as if they’ve known each other for years, not just several fleeting days.

  
They already know the routine, Hajime comes at noon and Tooru waits for him at the boulders, still with the hood blanketing his soft curls, and they go to Tooru’s lake or the woods surrounding it to play until they drop and Hajime has to go home. Hajime’s mom suspects nothing, more so, she praises her son for going out and playing more with the other boys.

  
Today is no different, and Hajime wears his warmer clothes with wind blowing harder than usual. As always, Tooru is waiting for him, clutching his hood with one hand and waving at Hajime with his other one, big toothy grin spreading on his face.

Hajime rushes at him and soon they’re in the woods, Tooru mindlessly dropping the hand holding his hood as the mischievous wind finally decides to calm down.

Not noticing the wind picking its speed up again he continues to run, caught up in a heated game of tag, until his hood suddenly gets caught up in the branches and he feels himself falling back. He can feel his body paralyze, completely unable to move, and he clutches desperately at the thorny grass as he stares at Hajime, terrified of his reaction.

His feet scramble on the ground, and he feels his lungs fill up, he can’t breathe, panic filling him completely, _(he hates me, he’s disgusted, he’s going to leave me alone)_ his eyes prickle from the unshed tears – and then suddenly he feels hands on his shoulders, shaking him and bringing him back to reality. When he comes to himself he can see Hajime’s face blurry from the tears now spilling on his cheeks, and he manages to hear Hajime’s voice through the terror spreading through his mind like cotton.

  
“Hey, hey Tooru. Look at me, it’s okay. It’s okay, alright? I knew already since the night you saved me. I trust you okay, don’t worry.”

  
Hajime envelops still shaking Tooru in a tight hug, gently running his nails across his back with his hand and the other one ruffling Tooru’s hair in an attempt to soothe him, whispering soft “It’s okay’s” and “I trust you’s” into the boy’s ear, still frozen in his hold. Then Tooru lurches forward, clutching at the back of Hajime’s shirt and tucking his head into the crook of Hajime’s neck, letting out breathy “Thank you Iwa-chan, thank you so much”, and laughing softly, hiccupping and letting out soft sobs.

They stay like that until Tooru calms down, and then he pulls back, his eyes still puffy and dry trails of tears on his cheek, and smiles at Hajime so brightly and grateful it simply _screams_ adoration, and for the second time of many yet to come, Hajime is breathless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd that's it, I hope you liked it! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :D <3  
> Alsoo, you can probably expect the meme team to emerge in the next chapter ;)  
> You can find me at alien-iwaoi.tumblr.com as always~


	3. Here comes the meme team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Who’s gonna play with Tooru if I get sick?'   
> His eyes widen slightly, his breath caught in his throat, and he stops fidgeting, puts his arms down in silence, slowly exhaling, suddenly lost in his thoughts. 'What do I do? I can’t leave him there alone. I must find someone who can'- and then it clicks him.  
> He sighs. They may be troublesome, but they’re good friends and he knows he can trust them with anything. Yeah. That’s what’s he going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I know I'm a month late and I'm so, so sorry, but the school was being so hard and I was too drained to even make one coherent sentence. I know this is short, but it's just an intro to the next chapter, which I will try to write in the morning, as it's 2am now, and I'm supposed to go sleep. Once again, I'm so sorry for making you wait so much, and I really hope you'll like it <3

The warm days are long gone, the hot and sticky air replaced with the fresh and chilly one, the one scattering and twirling the dead leaves and making children run in the warm comfort of their homes. The children are helping their moms by holding the clumps of wool while they knit them cozy sweaters, or by helping their dads with collecting the woods for the tinder.

  
Hajime is in his living room, fidgeting all around with his arms up, impatient to go to the forest, as his mom is taking his measures for the aforementioned sweater, urging him to stay still and giving him lectures that are, as the days pass by, Hajime notices, more and more frequent.

  
She lectures him about the importance of wearing more layers of clothes, and wearing warmer clothes, unless he wants to get sick, and then it strikes him.

  
_Who’s gonna play with Tooru if I get sick?_   
His eyes widen slightly, his breath caught in his throat, and he stops fidgeting, puts his arms down in silence, slowly exhaling, suddenly lost in his thoughts. _What do I do? I can’t leave him there alone. I must find someone who can_ \- and then it clicks him.

  
He sighs. They may be troublesome, but they’re good friends and he knows he can trust them with anything. Yeah. That’s what’s he going to do.

  
His mom stares at his still form in surprise, but doesn’t comment on it, hurrying up with taking the measures before he becomes impatient again. She looks him over one more time with a fond look on her face, and then taps him on the shoulder.

  
‘There. Off you go. Take the coat before you leave, it’s going to be cold later.’

  
It takes Hajime a second to process what she’s said, but then he mutters a ‘yeah’ and rushes out of the door while putting on the sleeve of the coat.

  
‘Was I really that boring, huh? What am I going to do with him when he grows up?’ Hajime’s mom stares at her son from the window, smiling to herself and turning away.

* * *

  
Hajime runs through the secluded alleyways, muttering ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me’ whenever he bumps into someone, before he finally reaches it – the secret spot. Two pairs of eyes curiously watch him as he hunches over and tries to catch his breath.

  
‘Yo, Hajime, you okay there, buddy?’, the boy with short pink hair asks.

  
‘Yeah just- just give me a minute’, he says still catching his breath.

  
He manages to walk up to the boys and plops down on the ground next to them.

  
‘Well I’m glad you finally joined us. We were wondering when were you going to crawl back to us when you realize we are the best that’s ever happened to you and that you simply can’t live without us’, the one with the messy hair says with a lazy smile on his face.

_‘In your dreams_ , Issei. Listen, I have something to tell you. But it’s a secret.’

‘A secret or the ‘swear by your collection of the perfectly shaped rocks that we found in that shady looking storage you won’t tell anyone’ secret?’

‘The ‘swear by your collection of perfectly shaped rocks’ secret.’

  
Issei and the pink haired boy glance at each other for a moment before they nod and hurdle up against Hajime.

  
‘Alright. That collection of perfectly shaped rocks is a serious thing, man. We’re listening.’

  
‘Okay, so. You know we didn’t really hang out together for a while now?’

  
‘You mean the reason why you suddenly decided to abandon us, your best friends for life, your partners in crime, your-‘

  
‘Okay, I get it, I didn’t spend much time with you, and I’m sorry, but listen to me.’

  
‘Ooh, an apology! From Hajime! This is getting interesting, did you do something wrong? Do we need to help you hide the body? ‘Cause I know a really sweet pl-‘

  
‘ _Takahiro_.’

  
‘Sorry.’

 

‘You know the forest? The one moms and aunties don’t want us to go?’

  
‘You mean the one where people see the weird magic stuff? Are you going to tell us you’ve befriended a fairy, now?’ Issei asks, a mocking grin on his face.

  
‘Yeah, that forest. And he’s a demon, actually. I’ve never seen a fairy in there, though. I’ll have to ask him if there are any one day’, Hajime says calmly, the two boys blinking incredulously at him.

  
‘You’re kidding me, right? You, Iwaizumi Hajime, who hates, like, almost every kid out here, managed to befriend a demon? Nope,no can do.’

  
‘But I’m still friends with you, aren’t I? And you two are the closest to demons as far as I’m concerned, so there goes that.’

  
‘… Okay, true. Do continue.’

  
‘Thank you. As I was saying, there is this boy who lives in the forest, but has nobody to play with. And now the winter is coming and I’m worried that he’ll be lonely if I get sick and there’s no one to go to the forest to him. So I thought that I can introduce him to you guys. Please don’t make me regret this.’

  
He explains to them how he met Tooru and how the demon helped him through the woods, and moments pass as the boys sit in silence, still thinking that Hajime’s pranking them, but the serious and genuine look on his face finally makes the boys believe him. They were going to believe him either way, it’s just fun for them to watch him get mad. They look at each other briefly, before turning back to Hajime.

  
‘Well, he better show us that fire ball of his while we’re on it’, Issei smiles at Hajime, who smiles back, and then they’re on their way, with Takahiro and Issei bumping Hajime’s arm and teasing him about the mysterious friend, and Hajime blushing profusely.

They might be bothersome at times, but they’re the best friends he’s ever had and he trusts them with his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-daaaah :D Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you like the new additions to the fic ;)  
> I really liked writing this, and I hope my dialogs are getting better and in character. Kudos and comments are always appreciated! You can find me at alien-iwaoi.tumblr.com <3


	4. The one with Tooru's new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People and demons have never been the friendliest with each other, and Tooru knows what kind of stories humans are scaring their children with. But he also knows that he really likes Hajime and he thought he had really found a true friend, a partner that would never leave, but apparently Hajime didn’t think so, too.
> 
> He steadies his shoulders and worries his lip, trying to keep the sobs in, when he hears the scrunching of the gravel and exhausted gasps, and suddenly three very soaked boys are rushing to him, collapsing on the boulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gOD i feel so bad for not updating in so long, and I hope you'll forgive me! Now that I think about it I have no idea why I ever stopped writing it, as I had so much fun writing this chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it!

The wind is getting stronger, Tooru’s hood flailing around and messing up his hair, but he’s too distressed to care. He shifts on the uncomfortable boulder and lowers his head between his pulled up knees to keep himself warm, but fails, shaking in the chilly afternoon. The sun is completely gone, hidden behind the storm bearing clouds, and he lets an unsteady breath. It’s way too late for Hajime to come and Tooru knows it, but he still holds onto that tiny sliver of hope, begging his heart to stop aching.

  
But what if he really won’t come? What if he had decided he didn’t want to be friends with Tooru anymore? And if he did, Tooru would understand, really. People and demons have never been the friendliest with each other, and Tooru knows what kind of stories humans are scaring their children with. But he also knows that he really likes Hajime and he thought he had really found a true friend, a partner that would never leave, but apparently Hajime didn’t think so, too.

  
He steadies his shoulders and worries his lip, trying to keep the sobs in, when he hears the scrunching of the gravel and exhausted gasps, and suddenly three very soaked boys are rushing to him, collapsing on the boulder.

  
“Hey, I’m really, really sorry I’m late, and it’s a long story, but I promise I’ll explain everything. Can you please lead us someplace where it’s not pouring rain, and maybe a bit warm?”

  
“Yeah, and can you make that little fireball of yours? You know, to make it warmer. ”

  
Tooru freezes and it feels like somebody poured ice cold water over him. Who are these boys and why are they here with Hajime? Why do they know about his powers? Maybe they scared Hajime into not being his friend anymore and are here so he doesn’t hurt him, or they want to go into the forest so they could hurt _him_ , or-

  
“Hey, can you slow down? You’re scaring him”, Hajime says and then looks at Tooru.

  
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have told you earlier. These are my friends. I thought you’d maybe, uh, want some new friends to play with. This is Issei, and that’s Takahiro.” He scratches the back of his neck and looks away, anxious of Tooru’s reaction.

  
And Tooru’s heart beats again.

  
A wobbly smile spreads across his face, a shiver of excitement running down his spine, and he jumps off the boulder.

  
“Sure! This way!”

  
He leads them through the shortcuts, chatting cheerfully and explaining little magical creatures of the forest to his new friends, until they finally arrive to a clear space with logs to sit on and remains of a bonfire in the middle.

  
_This is strange_ , Hajime thinks, _he’d usually take us to the lake_.

  
He looks questionably at Tooru, as he’s working on forming the fireballs for everyone, but either Tooru doesn’t notice him, or he’s trying to avoid his gaze.

  
Hajime waits until everybody is settled down and then starts.

  
“Tooru, I know this is all very unexpected, but please hear me out. You’re my best friend and of course I always want to play with you, but I was thinking a bit this morning and what if I get sick? I wouldn’t have a way to tell you and I wouldn’t want you to think I was abandoning you, so I thought you should meet some other kids, you know? To play with you when I can’t. That’s why I wanted you to meet my friends. And since you can’t come to the village, I brought them here. And don’t worry, they’re my best friends, too, and I’d trust them with anything.”

He looks at Tooru with steel confidence and a plea for trust, and how could have Tooru ever not trusted him?

  
His eyes widen as he takes a shuddering breath, and flashes them with a smile bright enough to outshine all the fireballs in the world.

  
“Well, every Iwa-chan’s friend is also a friend of mine. You’re both welcome here to come whenever you want!”

  
“Thanks! And I’m sorry for earlier, it must’ve been scary meeting a new person like that. But really, these fireballs are so cool, it must be real tough to make them this young.”

  
Tooru visibly blushes and tries to explain that it’s actually one of the easiest spells, when Hajime puts his arm around his shoulder and pulls him closer.

  
“Yeah, I told you guys he’s awesome.”

  
Tooru looks at Hajime and then at his two new friends, realizing how lucky he is, and lets out a genuine laugh, hugging Hajime back.

  
They spend the entire afternoon getting to know each other better and playing around, with the forest creatures coming to greet them and Tooru showing them some neat tricks and great hiding places for hide and seek, and before they know it it’s time for the human boys to return to their homes.

  
Outside the forest raindrops have begun to drop slowly, so Tooru sees them off with a protection spell to keep them dry until they reach their respective houses. He turns around one last time to look at his new friends, waving when he catches Hajime’s eyes, and then he’s off to the castle, his heart full of love and joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked it! If you have any suggestions on how to improve please let me know, and don't forget to leave kudos and comments~  
> You can find me at alien-iwaoi.tumblr.com or at @starstrucktooru on twitter

**Author's Note:**

> Andd that's it, I hope you liked it! :D Thank you so much for reading, and comments and kudos are always appreciated! You can find me at minyardxva.tumblr.com <3


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